Letter to the Editor: Lottery dreams

Published 1:51 pm, Thursday, January 21, 2016

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Letter to the Editor: Lottery dreams

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So, you didn’t win the Powerball.

After shrugging and tearing up your ticket, it is worthwhile taking a moment to reflect. What did you imagine doing with the money? Did you plan to buy a house or take a vacation? Did you want to help family or friends? Did you see yourself quitting your job?

The fantasies that accompany a lottery ticket can be used to good end. We all know we almost certainly will not hold a winning ticket. We buy a ticket for its possibilities — and it is in exploring those possibilities that the true potential of the ticket is found.

Unlike New Year’s resolutions, which are often lists of shoulds, Powerball fantasies can help us understand what we really want. Yes, they can be wild and extravagant: buy that mansion in the local real estate section; mount a third-party candidacy for president; get a piloted private jet. But these are really small wishes writ large. Scaled down, they show our wish for better housing, political involvement, or travel.

Did your work situation figure into your lottery dreams? If you imagined continuing in your job, that is certainly a good sign. But if you planned to quit on the spot, it is worth considering what it is about your employment that bothers you. Maybe there are problems that can be addressed.

If you planned to help others, you can still offer friendly advice or volunteer.

Lottery fantasies can be illuminating in yet another way. If you participated in a lottery pool, did you feel comfortable with the other pool members? Did you imagine being envied by friends or being congratulated? Examining these thoughts can help to clarify your current relationships.

So, you didn’t win the Powerball. But maybe, for two dollars, you have gotten to understand yourself a bit better.